The Great Sasuke
by Wahyah
Summary: A work in progress, Sasuke watches from the distance at the life he wishes he had, trying to reconcile his pride with his wishes for the future. May soon contain adult themes and language, as well as eventual pairing.
1. Intrus

**Hey! This is the oft mentioned editor. Sorry for no updates to our other stories as of late, Wahyah is having technical issues but wants to be the one writing, so we've decided to hold off on those for a bit and work on something we've been tossing around for a bit. Tell us what you think! ~nightingale**

* * *

"The sun is shining, it's one of the last few beautiful days of this year, and I have enough money to buy the lot of this town... And yet, here I am, standing around, waiting for someone who might not even come this way."

Sasuke Uchiha sighed, turning on his heel and walking down the stretch of road for the umpteenth time. Having long forgone his air of superiority with the realization that no one who was likely to come down this path would care, he had deigned to instead glare down at either end of the road, hoping for a glimpse of the person he was there to (hopefully) meet.

"...Hn. Figures. The day I have the nerve to try to make myself known, she take a different route home. Or stays in town. Or gets herself killed. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me, she never was one for keeping her head on straight. I may as well head...back..."

His ranting to himself petered out slowly as he glimpsed a shape at the far end of the path. Hoping he didn't seem too excited, he strolled towards the figure, hoping more than he would admit that this was who he thought it was. He had spent far too long - and far too much - finding this little city and setting himself in the perfect place. West Egg, they called it. Hn. Far too placid for his tastes... But, if he was correct,it would be worth it.

As he closed in on the figure, the sun in his eyes obscuring it quite well, he slowed, confused. Something wasn't right... With a start, he realized that there was not one, but two people walking towards him. No, this couldn't be her; more than likely just a few locals, coming home from their day. Yet, indeed, as they drew close enough for him to see them clearly, he groaned; it _was_ the woman he was looking for... But she was being escorted by some _man_.

Drawing himself up straight - he was too close and looked too intent on speaking with her to back out now - he he waved to them, then stepped forward.

"Hello! You look a little lost pal, I don't suppose you're the guy who just moved in over yonder?" The man said, gesturing vaguely into the distance. He was tall, and broadly built, with dark skin, darker hair, and darker still eyes. Seeing the new look in Sasuke's eyes, he drew back, pulling the woman a bit closer to him. Sasuke was a bit put off, but said nothing; he understood, at this time of night, this off the path, someone like him drew suspicion.

"Aa. I saw you walking this way and felt it appropriate to introduce myself. Sasuke said, not entirely lying. He _had_ planned on introducing himself, at any rate.

"Ha! I thought as much. You don't seem to be the type we'd see at the country club. Anyway, it's nice to meet you! My name's Kiba, I live off there, by the lake." He said, pointing out the obviously older East Egg.

"So tell us then, _who_ are _you_?" The woman said, curious. A tiny thing, with pale skin, and pale, oddly tinted hair. Most would assume from first glance that it was catching some light from somewhere, but a second look generally told the truth.

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha." He said, stiffly. As he did, her face cinched, as if hit with a bout of deja vu. Sasuke's spirits jumped; if she remembered... But, after a few seconds of tense silence, her face relaxed, and she held out her hand.

"Well welcome to the city Sasuke! I'm Sakura! I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of each other."

The words that fell out of her mouth hurt him more than he should have let. He kept his composure, however; he should have known better than to let it bother him; surely the years had taught him better than that. Gently, cautiously, he took her hand and shook it, earning himself an odd look from Kiba as he unknowingly held her hand longer than he should have.

Sasuke cleared the lump in his throat, hoping he was as strong as he liked to believe, strong enough keep his voice from cracking. "I'm sure we will." He almost cringed at the sound of envy in his own voice, but if the other two noticed, they didn't show it.

"So, do you know anyone who lives around here, Sasuke?" Kiba gave Sasuke a toothy grin, making him inwardly growl.

"Aa." He answered calmly, "I'm sure you know of him, Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke finished, pleased that he had kept bitterness out of his voice.

Sakura's bright green eyes lit up; that was what Sasuke hated about her, again, the way she always makes you want to smile. "Oh yes! I've known him for years... Although, he's never mentioned you, I don't think."

Inwardly, he flinched. Of course the imbecile would not have talked about him. He was probably trying to forget about him as well. Perhaps he _should_ have stayed far away and let them live their lives, but he had to be selfish and try again for something that may not ever be again.

"We...have been out of touch for quite some time." Sasuke answered swiftly, wanting no more to do with the subject.

The sun had started to set, dark enough to make the three's shadows stretch farther down the sidewalk. The street lamps flickering to life at the notice of the light slowly fading. A chill climbed up Sasuke's back, but he suppressed the urge to shiver; he wanted to seem all the more postured. He just wanted to talk with her for a while longer. _Kiba_ could go fall into an abyss for all he cared.

"I see." She smiled gently at him, "Well, it's getting late, I should be getting home."

"I'll walk you the rest of the way, m'lady." Kiba smiled at her.

Sasuke suddenly felt that horrid emotion that only Sakura could ever make him feel. The feeling that got him in so much trouble not even a decade ago. Jealousy.

He stepped to the side so they may walk by, and they politely took that as a sign that their little meet-and-greet was over. He kept his gaze on Sakura just a little while longer as she walked away from him.

Sakura turned her head at Sasuke, "I'm having a small get-together at my house tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps you could join?"

He hesitated for just a moment, but before she started walking again, he answered.

"Aa"


	2. Secunda

**Sorry for the double notification everyone, there was a lack of communication and I accidentally added the wrong love pairing to the story. This _should_ be the right version, so if the updates stopped, it isn't and Wahyah decided to murder me. For anyone who managed to read it before I changed it, well, I hope you enjoyed SasuKiba. ~nightingale**

* * *

Sasuke, being as punctual as ever, arrived a fair bit earlier to their house before any more socially comfortable person would have. He had hoped he would have the chance to speak with Sakura _alone_, but fate had other plans.

He opened the door to be greeted with a familiar face. A stocky blonde, with angry blue eyes focused on him. The blonde's lip curled into a snarl, showing a time-refined hatred and aggression.

"_You_." The blonde growled, stepping closer until he was face-to-face with Sasuke. Sasuke looked back at him, his expression as aloof as ever. This served only to make the blonde angrier. "We will speak outside." It was not a request.

He stormed past Sasuke, intentionally running his shoulder into him as he did, with the intention of knocking him down; Sasuke, however, having expected this, had braced himself as soon as he began moving. He braced himself again as he moved outside, prepared to do anything from chatting with the boy to fighting him.

"You have some nerve coming back here." The youth said, pacing back and forth and gesturing occasionally and wildly, like a deranged drill sergeant.

"Hn. You act as if I'm here solely to anger you, Naruto. For all you know, I may have became homesick." Sasuke replied, a slight edge to his voice.

:You knew exactly how your return would be taken, Sasuke. The all-but-self-proclaimed prodigal son of the Uchiha family, who was all-but-thrown out on his ass. _Why_ did you think coming back would be even close to a good idea?" Naruto replied, yelling now.

"Because maybe, in the years I was gone while you all were living such a wonderful life, _I_ decided that I didn't want to leave certain things behind. Because maybe, having to leave made me think about how much of a jackass i was. Because _maybe_ I was hoping my old _friends_ would be willing to give me a second chance." Sasuke bit out, letting out a bit more of how he felt than he had planned to.

"Well you've sure as hell made a mess of your return, haven't you?" Naruto near-whispered, turning on his heel and stomping back inside.

Sasuke began to yell a retort at the youth's retreating shoulder, but was stopped short by Sakura suddenly appearing in the door frame.

"Were you planning on standing on my porch on evening Sasuke?" She asked, a smirk on her face.

"No, actually, I had a chance to... Catch up with Naruto." Sasuke replied, his voice lined with sarcasm.

"Well come in then. Everyone is waiting." The waifish figure said, sliding back inside.

* * *

The house Sasuke stepped into was dark, almost as dark as the sky outside. The decoration had obviously been designed around comfort, and for entertainment; lounges and chairs were scattered about, while a set of tables lined the walls in a kitchen set off to the side. It was obvious to him that the hand that had decorated the room was very likely not Sakura's; pelts decorated the walls, set next to primordial-looking, almost tribal paintings.

Sasuke heard stilted voices from a distance, and headed towards them. Stepping out a rear door, he found himself on a deck overlooking the nearby lake. Seated on yet another lounge, their expressions ranging from curiosity to discomfort, were Kiba, Naruto, and another woman, leaning against, and almost hanging off of, the blonde youth.

Sasuke was certain he had seen this girl before; if not from his childhood, then from rumours and conversations. Her jet black hair, its shine rivalling his own, and the air hanging around her of one who had far too much money than they knew what to do with, all gave him the feeling he should know her.

Naruto sat next to her, the glare on his face meant solely as a response to Sasuke's existence. The woman slowly looked up, turning her oddly coloured eyes on him. They were pale, nearly clear, showed more emotion than he expected, moving from confusion to recognition. She smiled at him. "Hello Sasuke." The voice that came from her was light, so unbelievably so that, if he had not been so close, he might not have heard it.

In that second, Sasuke remembered her name. "Hinata. Er, Ms. Hyuuga." "Sasuke." She nodded in acknowledgement, before being cut off by Naruto.

"Mrs. _Uzumaki_." Naruto bit out.

Sasuke's eyes widened for a second, before he absorbed what Naruto had said... _Naruto_ had managed to get a wife. Meanwhile, Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to talk to... "I'm sorry." He said to Hinata, a feigned look of concern on his face.

She giggled. "He's mine. That's all that matters, Sasuke."

As she finished giggling over Sasuke's faux pas, Sakura stepped back into the room, carrying a lavish, almost garish platter, covered in snacks and drinks for the group. Kiba moved up to her side, whispering something in her ear that made her beam at him.

Sasuke's mood soared as he noticed her, growing even higher, if that was possible. Maybe this wouldn't go as badly as he thought...

* * *

Through the evening, Sasuke hardly followed the conversation flowing around him, but one strand caught his attention. It was Kiba, standing up and announcing he would be back in a moment, before leaving and returning with a small white dog.

Sakura looked at him, a bewildered look on his face. "What's this?" She asked.

"This is Akamaru. He's for you, Sak." Kiba smiled wolfishly.

"Aww, thank you, Kiba. He's adorable." Sakura said, reaching out to take the dog. It rolled over in her arms, looking up at her with a nervous look on its face.

"Mmhmm. A pure bred, as a gift for you." Kiba said, glowing at the gift he had given her; a dog of its pedigree was practically worth its weight in gold. "You know I've had Akamaru for a long time Sakura, but... I want you to have him, because... I love you."

"Oh god, Kiba! I love you!" Sakura cried, handing the dog to Hinata before wrapping her arms around Kiba.

"Isn't that sweet, Sasuke?" Hinata asked, petting the dog. Naruto, seeing the discomfort in his eyes, said nothing, instead sending a small sneer his way before looking back at the couple.

Sasuke's heart dropped. He had expected the night to be rough, but not nearly this uncomfortable. A bit more abruptly than he meant to, he stood, and turned to leave

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I need to head home. It's growing late, and I need to get settled in." Sasuke said, moving towards the door and away from the scene in front of him.

"You can't even stay for a nightcap Sasuke? It's our first time meeting since you...left." Hinata said, her voice faltering towards the end as she realized that he might not have such good memories of the event.

"No, no. I really must be going. Enjoy your night, everyone." Sasuke said, slipping out the front door before more protest could be raised.

* * *

Stopping a short distance down the road, Sasuke leaned against a lightpost, retreating into his thoughts as he sighed. So this was his homecoming then. Not nearly where he wanted it to go - of course she would be with him, it had been years since he had left - but it was a hell of a lot worse than he had expected. Kiba declaring his love for Sakura had been nearly a physical blow to Sasuke.

Dropping out of his revelry as the moon slid from behind the clouds, he turned, continuing the walk back to his home, resigned to leaving the situation to another day.


End file.
